The Mole
by Aini NuFire
Summary: Apocalypse Wars, Episode 4 - Zachariah's forces make a move to wipe out the rebel garrison.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Some major Cas whump in this one, in case any of you were hoping for some. ;) And this episode has three parts. Thanks to 29Pieces for beta reading!**

* * *

THEN

 _Castiel stood on a crest overlooking the Devil's Gate. The initial horde of demons had made its intrusion onto the Earth and spread out in every direction. The gaping portal glowed red along the ridges of the crater it'd left behind in its formation, pulsing every so often as a slacker emerged late. More would continue to come, and eventually Lucifer himself would rise._

 _Castiel clenched his fists, evaluating how he might close the gate. Because Heaven wasn't going to._

 _A displacement of air heralded the arrival of someone behind him. Castiel turned, but it wasn't Anna as he'd been hoping._

 _Uriel's mouth twisted into a disparaging sneer. "Are you down here feeling sorry for these mud monkeys?" he spat. "They are despicable, Castiel. Every last one of them deserves to burn."_

 _He bristled. "No."_

 _Uriel snorted. "Zachariah knows you betrayed Heaven, Castiel. You deserve to burn, too."_

 _His grace erupted with an explosion of light and thunderous roar. Castiel ducked under the first strike before unleashing his own grace. Each clash was a collision of lightning. Castiel took a slash across the chest before he retaliated with a score down Uriel's face. The other angel reared back with a bellow of pain and rage, silver liquid leaking from his ruined eye. Uriel fled._

 _Castiel took to the slipstream of the ether as well before the scent of blood drew any ravenous demons._

 _…_

 _"So is prayer real?" Dean asked. "I mean, if God's not around, who's manning the phones upstairs?"_

 _Castiel frowned. "Angels hear prayers. Though they aren't likely to answer anymore."_

 _"Yeah…but you'd answer, right?"_

 _Castiel pursed his mouth ruminatively. "Prayer is…like tossing a bottle in the ocean. You don't know who will hear it. But if you wanted to contact me directly, there is a prayer ritual, one that focuses your message to an intended recipient that can't be intercepted by others."_

 _"Sounds handy," Dean replied._

 _Castiel proceeded to show the human how to write his name in Enochian for the ritual._

 _…_

 _"Food's a big one," Gabriel said. "Obviously. Uh, weapons, blankets, batteries…" he continued to read off a list in hand._

 _"Are we really to become errand boys here?" Hester interrupted._

 _Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her. "You don't think providing for these human survivors is worth our effort?"_

 _"We should be focusing on fighting demons."_

 _"And after you've killed all the demons, love," Balthazar piped in, "just pick up any items you spot lying around the carnage. It shouldn't be that hard."_

 _"I don't mind gathering supplies for the humans," Hael spoke up. "I'm not really a fighter, anyway."_

 _"We_ all _chip in," Gabriel said sternly. "Heaven has turned its back on the Earth; we haven't. And that includes the humans mule-headed enough to survive the end of all things. Now, there's also medicine, and…"_

 _…_

NOW

Castiel exited the ethereal slipstream and landed outside an old warehouse on the edge of what used to be an industrial district, back when human civilizations were captains of industry. Now the property lay abandoned and in disrepair. It was an odd place for a meeting.

Castiel tilted his head back to sweep his gaze across the star-studded sky, then lowered it to scan the vacant area. All was quiet. He made his way toward the building. A side door hung open on rusted hinges, and he turned sideways to slip through without disturbing anything. The interior of the warehouse was dark and cold, thick concrete walls making up three-fourths of the structure. The remaining wall was mostly broken windows that let in the faint aura of moonlight. Castiel didn't see anyone around.

He heaved a piqued sigh. Ezra had made it sound quite urgent that they meet, and yet he wasn't here already. And if it was so important, why was he reluctant to say it in front of the other members of the garrison?

Castiel turned in a slow circle. He had half a mind to go back to the compound and resume more important work, such as fusing ethereal energy into bullets, or searching for information on Azazel and the special children. Not playing 'cloak and dagger' as Gabriel would say.

The door creaked all the way open, admitting an angel of a somewhat short stature and blonde hair. Ezra gave a jittery smile as he approached.

Castiel tried to keep his irritation tamped down. "What is so important and why couldn't you share it in front of the others?"

Ezra slowed to a stop, and cast a fidgety gaze around the warehouse. "Castiel, there's…there's a mole. In the garrison."

Castiel's brows rose dubiously. "I have a hard time believing that."

He'd been serving with most of the other angels under Gabriel's wing for a while now, and they were a family as much as a military unit.

"Believe it or not, it's fact," Ezra said tetchily.

Castiel frowned at his compatriot's continued agitation. "How can you be sure?" And why was Ezra bringing this concern to him, and not Gabriel?

Ezra grimaced, his hands flexing and clenching almost compulsively.

"No one else is here," Castiel said.

"Are you certain about that?" a deep, baritone voice spoke from the shadows.

Castiel whirled, but the only thing he was able to register was a hand slapping down on a painted sigil he hadn't noticed before. Blinding light engulfed him like white fire, searing across every inch of his body. Castiel couldn't hold back a cry under the scorching assault. It was over in an instant, but the moment the nova winked out, he dropped to his knees, gasping for breath.

Meaty hands grabbed him from behind before Castiel could recover, and he was yanked up and slammed back into a concrete pillar. Cold steel snapped around one wrist. Castiel tried to jerk away, but a right hook to the side of his head left him seeing stars. A second cuff was latched around his other wrist, and with it, Castiel felt his grace get locked down tight.

His arms were then pulled taut with a clink of chains, suspending them above his head. By the time Castiel's vision cleared, he was caught.

He blinked furiously as the last floating specks receded and the dim warehouse solidified into distinct shapes again. Castiel stiffened at the sight of the angel standing before him.

"Uriel," he growled.

The dark angel leered at him through his one good eye, the other milky and disfigured by the scar transecting the left side of his face. "Hello, Castiel. It's been a while."

"Not long enough." He gave a half-hearted tug against his chains, but the Enochian sigils carved into the metal completely numbed his grace, not to mention the sigil attack left every nerve fiber tingling as though mildly burned.

Castiel turned his attention to his betrayer. "Ezra, why?"

The angel that had been on edge only moments before now looked incredibly smug. "What can I say? Zachariah appreciates my talents more than you lot ever have. There's room for advancement under his leadership."

Castiel gaped at Ezra in dismay. The small angel had always had a somewhat ingratiating attitude around Gabriel, but to betray them for a gold star from Zachariah…

Castiel increased his struggles against the chains. "Heaven is not a corporate ladder for you to climb!"

Uriel stepped in front of him. "Oh, brother, there's that idealistic naivety that makes you a pathetic example of a soldier."

Castiel narrowed his gaze sharply. "My battle record speaks for itself. And I am not your brother."

Uriel sneered. "No, you're a rebel traitor." He leaned down so that his hot breath wafted across Castiel's face. "And I am going to enjoy paying you back for this," he hissed, gesturing to his ruined eye. Uriel straightened, and pivoted back to Ezra. "But first, you'd better get going if you're going to get Gabriel out of the way in time."

Castiel's spine went rigid. "In time for what?"

Uriel slowly craned his head back around, mouth twisting with triumph. "Thanks to Ezra here, Heaven knows where your little secret compound is, and it's long overdue for an _extermination_."

Castiel's heard seized, and he shot a desperate look at Ezra, silently imploring him not to do this.

"As soon as Gabriel is away on a wild goose chase," Uriel continued blithely, "we will move in."

"Gabriel won't be tricked so easily," Castiel argued. The archangel had been a Trickster himself.

Uriel smirked. "Sure he will. After he gets a message from Castiel, his most trusted lieutenant."

"Ezra, don't do this!" Castiel pleaded. "Gabriel took you in!"

"His dog would've been treated better than I am," the angel spat in return. Ezra puffed his chest up. "No, I'm important now. A valued member of Zachariah's inner circle."

Castiel sputtered in disbelief at how deluded he was being. Even Uriel rolled his eyes, but his back was turned to Ezra, and so the other angel missed it.

"Yes," Uriel ground out. "Now go do your very important job of getting Gabriel away from the compound."

Castiel struggled against his bonds, furious at his own helplessness while those he cared about were in danger. But it was futile, and only seemed to amuse Uriel more.

The dark angel waited until Ezra was gone, and then slowly pulled out an angel blade. "It seems I have a little time on my hands," he said silkily.

Stalking forward, he placed the tip of his blade right underneath Castiel's eye. Castiel gritted his teeth and held rigidly still.

"An eye for an eye," Uriel murmured, slowly turning the blade this way and that. Castiel couldn't help but flinch slightly.

But then Uriel paused. "Well, we'll get to that, eventually." He moved the blade away and sliced it across Castiel's torso.

The bite of celestial steel was like molten fire piercing his flesh and grace. Castiel clamped his teeth together against a cry of pain. He would not give Uriel the satisfaction. Only grunts and strangled sounds garbled in his throat as the other angel carved into him with a sadistic, sculptor's glee. Frustration more than agony brought tears to Castiel's eyes, as he could barely focus his thoughts enough between brutal cuts to come up with a plan of warning the others, let alone for his own escape. But if he didn't, the garrison would be caught unawares, and who knew how many would die in the attack.

Uriel grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head back against the pillar. "Do you know why I had Ezra bring you here instead of leaving you at the compound with the others?"

Castiel struggled to swallow at the awkward angle of his exposed throat. "Do tell," he grunted.

Uriel's lips curled upward. "Because Zachariah plans to execute all the rebels together. Snuff out your pathetic resistance in one fell swoop."

Castiel frowned. Then why _did_ Uriel want to lure him away?

The dark angel grinned as though he could tell that was exactly what Castiel was wondering. "But then I wouldn't get my revenge."

Castiel would have rolled his eyes if the movement didn't make his skull explode with an extra burst of pain.

Uriel leaned closer. "And I am going to enjoy taking my revenge for a long, long time."

To punctuate his statement, he dug the tip of his blade underneath Castiel's collarbone and torqued it.

Castiel choked on a strained cry. His chest was heaving with labored breaths, his body cold and drenched in sweat. He wasn't sure how much longer he could endure this.

But to his surprise, Uriel stepped back and produced a cloth, which he used to wipe down his blade.

"I can hear Zachariah summoning me now," Uriel said casually, pocketing his weapon. "It's time to pay a visit to the other rebels. We'll pick this up when I get back."

With that, he slipped into the ether.

Castiel continued to hang limply in the chains for a few more moments as he tried to catch his breath and focus. He tugged at his restraints, but was too weak to barely make them rattle. Now he did let out a long cry as he tried again, only to expend the precious energy he had left, and he sagged, shoulder muscles on fire from their elevated position. There was no way he'd break free. No way he could get a message to the others.

…But, maybe there was someone else he could contact…

Dean had once found Castiel through their bond, and Castiel could do the same for the hunter. But maybe Castiel could open it even further, and get a message through. The chains may have been inhibiting his grace, but the bond was something internal, a connection deeper than what these sigils could nullify.

It was the only chance he had, and so he had to try.

* * *

Dean sat in a comfortable lawn chair at the end of the dock, his fishing lure bobbing tranquilly in the water. There was a cooler of cold ones at his feet and his mind was as peaceful as the placid lake stretched out before him. An amber haze suffused through the air, bathing everything in a sepia tone.

Dean let out a small sigh of contentment.

The air beside him wobbled, and suddenly Cas was there, too. All that was missing was Sam, and this relaxing afternoon would be complete.

Except that when Dean looked up to tell the angel to grab a beer and have a seat, he noticed Cas was swaying blearily. And he was bleeding.

Something in Dean's awareness shifted, like coming out of a fog. This wasn't real…he'd had this dream before. Though Cas didn't typically feature in it.

Dean surged out of the lawn chair. "Cas, is that really you?"

Cas squinted at him. "Yes," he said, voice even more gravelly than usual. "I…needed to…reach you."

He started to pitch forward, and Dean lunged to catch him.

"Whoa, easy." Dean gripped the angel's arm and tried to hold him up. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I've been captured," Cas said wearily. "I'm…being held at a warehouse…outside Sheridan County." He started to go translucent, and Dean's lungs seized. But after a moment of Cas screwing his eyes shut, he solidified again. "This dream link is…harder to maintain…than I imagined."

"Okay, okay." Dean's brain started whirring a mile a minute. "Sam and I will come get you. Sheridan County, you said?" That wasn't on the other side of the mid-west, at least. But they'd have to figure out exactly what they were going up against.

"No!" Cas jolted ramrod straight, but it upset his already precarious balance, and Dean had to quickly adjust his grip to keep the angel upright. "You have to…warn the others." Cas sucked in a pained gasp. "There's a mole, in the garrison. He's leading…Zachariah…there now. You have to get a message to…Gabriel."

Dean's heart dropped into his stomach. Oh, _shit_.

"Alright, yeah, we can warn Gabriel, and then come get you." Crap, they didn't know how to contact the archangel. "Cas, what's Gabriel's name in Enochian?"

Cas's eyelids started fluttering, and he was growing heavier in Dean's arms.

"Cas? Cas!" Dean gave him a small shake. "I need Gabriel's name."

But in the next instant, Cas disappeared, and Dean stumbled as his arms were suddenly empty. The landscape around the lake bent and refracted, tilting Dean into a blur of gold.

He bolted upright in bed with a gasp. Soft daylight was suffusing through the gaps in the cabin curtains, and Sam was still asleep in his bunk along the opposite wall from Dean's.

What the hell? Was all that just some crazy dream, or…or was Cas actually in trouble? Dean's gut said the latter, as did the subtle ping in the back of his mind he hadn't felt since he'd intentionally tried to access the bond with said angel.

Dean wrestled the tangled sheets off his legs and scrambled out of bed. "Sam! Wake up."

His brother let out a muffled noise as he jerked awake. "What? What's wrong?" he asked groggily, immediately responding to Dean's urgent tone.

"Cas is in trouble." Dean shoved his feet into his boots; he was already dressed, as he'd gotten in the habit long ago of sleeping in his clothes.

So had Sam, who started putting his shoes on without question, though he did ask for details. Dean did his best to explain as quickly as he could.

"Gabriel's name is somewhere in the bypass warding," Sam said once he was up to speed. "But, crap, along with a bunch of others, and I don't know how to tell whose is whose."

Yeah, so that wasn't an option.

"We don't have time to figure it out, either," Dean replied. "Cas was in bad shape. And it sounded like the attack was happening now." He snatched his duffel from under his bunk and double-checked all the weapons and gear he kept stocked in it. "So we'll have to get Cas first, then figure out what to do next."

In an angel war, right.

Sam grabbed his own go-bag. "Sheridan County is big, Dean. Did Cas say where he was exactly?"

Dean pulled up short in the doorway, furrowing his brow in concentration. "No. But I can feel the link in the bond more easily this time. Maybe because Cas initiated it through the dream, I dunno. But we'll find him."

He turned and strode outside, mentally running through the routes he had memorized from years driving these highways to and from hunts. They were on a case again, this time a rescue mission.

 _Hold on, Cas_.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Quick announcement that this year I'm participating in the Team Free Will Big Bang Challenge, and I'm scheduled to post my fic for it tomorrow, so don't be surprised by the irregular posting. It's a big one, too, but it has to be posted all at once. So enjoy the extra chunk of reading over the weekend!**

* * *

 **Part II**

Balthazar twirled a pen back and forth between his fingers as he stood over the large map spread across the table in the main war room, idly listening to Anna give an updated report of demonic movements and strongholds. It was always the same—their garrison would wipe out one infestation here, and another would pop up over there. Round and round and round they went.

Balthazar canted his head thoughtfully, and then leaned over to draw an x on the glass top next to a few others. He struck a line through three in a row. "I win."

Anna snatched the pen from his hand. "Would you stop that?" Using her elbow sleeve, she erased the marks, then replaced the ones that actually stood for statistical data.

"You'll just be erasing those next week," he pointed out.

She glowered at him.

The front door creaked open, drawing both of their gazes to the extended archway leading in from the door. Ezra strolled inside.

Anna frowned. "Where have you been?"

He bristled. "Out."

Balthazar arched a dramatic brow. "You mean you actually left the burrow? Without someone having to drag you by the tail? Color me shocked."

Ezra's eyes narrowed, and instead of retreating into another room to pout like usual, he marched right up to Balthazar, stopping with a mere foot between them. Balthazar gazed down at the shorter angel, actually taken aback. But Ezra didn't say anything.

"What?" Balthazar finally snipped.

The other angel's mouth smirked. "Just enjoying this moment."

Balthazar quirked a slightly confused look at him. "The moment you finally grow a pair?" He shrugged. "Alright. Better late than never, I suppose."

Ezra's expression hardened, but before Balthazar could tell the little twerp to run along, the door banged open with a crash, and several armed angels stormed in, led by Uriel.

Balthazar instinctively went for his blade, but Ezra punched him in the jaw, pitching him backward across the table. Anna shoved her foot into Ezra's chest and kicked him hard enough to send him flying across the room. But before she could get her weapon, she was grabbed by two angels and slammed face down on the table.

Balthazar surged up and took a swing at one of them, but his arm was caught midair and wrenched behind his back. The snap of cold steel around his wrists made his flaring grace fizzle and die down to nothing more than a simmering ember.

He heard shouts of alarm rise up in the other rooms and sounds of struggles. But they'd all been caught off guard in the one place that was supposed to be hidden from Heaven.

 _Ezra_.

Balthazar craned his neck around to find the traitor as he was manhandled toward the center of the room and forced onto his knees. Anna was thrust down beside him. One by one, the others were dragged in from the adjoining rooms, everyone having been restrained as well. Ezra remained untouched, standing against the far wall and rubbing his chest with a wince.

Balthazar fumed. Oh, he was going to make the little weasel pay for this…if they could find a way out of this mess. The entire garrison had been cuffed and herded into the main war room where they'd been thrown together on the floor in a crowded huddle. Their captors stepped back to create a guarded perimeter, and Balthazar started calculating the odds of escape with twenty soldiers to their twelve, when Anna stiffened beside him. He followed her gaze to the door as none other than Zachariah walked in.

Bloody hell, could things actually get any worse?

The seraph roved a gleeful gaze over them all. "Excellent work, gentlemen," he said, clapping his hands together in slow, staccato beats. "We've captured the rebel faction."

Balthazar glowered at the other angel.

Zachariah turned to survey the compound. "Interesting. You know, I always suspected Gabriel was using that little pocket dimension trick to elude us." He clucked his tongue. "I look forward to blowing it up."

"And I look forward to Gabriel wiping the floor with your grace," Anna called out. "Even you aren't a match for him."

Balthazar lifted his gaze to the ceiling. Well, he supposed he did have to give her points for antagonizing their captors. It's what he would do, after all. But now Balthazar was wondering where Gabriel was exactly. Shouldn't he have been back from his reconnaissance of the eastern seaboard by now? Talk about a welcoming committee.

Zachariah focused his attention on Anna, but seemed unbothered by the threat. "Yes, Gabriel. I have a special homecoming present for him." He nodded to two of his soldiers. "Get started."

Balthazar narrowed his eyes as the two thugs moved to the arch above the entryway and began to carve into it with their angel blades. His view was obscured, however, by Ezra coming to stand over him.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" the puny angel sneered in his face.

Balthazar scrunched his nose up. "At least I don't have weasel breath."

Ezra raised his arm and backhanded him across the face, sending Balthazar falling against Muriel and Hael. Anna surged to her feet and body slammed Ezra, but Uriel stepped in, and with a rough hand on her shoulder, shoved her back down.

"Enough!" Zachariah snapped.

Balthazar wriggled his way back onto his knees with Muriel and Hael bracing him with their backs. Ezra stomped over to him again.

"No more being the butt of your jokes," he seethed. "Put down like I'm not even half the angel you are. Now you show _me_ some respect."

"Perhaps if you ever did anything worthy of respect, you'd get some," Balthazar retorted. The little putz, complaining about how he was being mistreated when he barely did anything to contribute to the unit. Too much of a coward to go out and help them fight demons, and too much of a sniveling whiner when he was asked to take care of more menial tasks instead. Not even Hester was as annoying as him.

Ezra's nostrils flared, but Uriel moved forward and clamped a meaty hand on the smaller angel's shoulder.

" _Enough_." Uriel shoved him away.

Balthazar rolled his neck, his gaze drifting back to the two angels at the archway. His heart dropped into his stomach when he realized what they were doing—carving a very intricate, very elaborate…and very deadly sigil. Not even an archangel would be able to withstand getting hit with something that powerful.

Zachariah glanced over and must have caught the horror on Balthazar's face, because the seraph grinned maniacally. "Yes, this should knock dear old Gabriel down a few pegs."

He sauntered over to the map table and produced a folded piece of parchment from his suit, which he then unfolded and spread out on the glass. Balthazar caught a glimpse of what looked like another rune painted in blood. Most likely the trigger for this trap.

"Think how stunned Gabriel's going to be when he walks through that door and finds you all here like this," Zachariah went on conversationally. "And then…" He slapped his hand down on the glass next to the blood sigil. Zachariah crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the table. "Hm, I can't decide who I should make watch whom die first. Eenie, meenie…"

He trailed off with a blithe shrug, and went back to oversee the work on the archway.

"What do we do?" Inias whispered.

"We have to get out of these cuffs," Anna urged.

Balthazar scoffed. "Anyone know how to pick a lock?"

"Shh," Muriel hissed, and they fell quiet as Zachariah turned a shrewd gaze on them again. There wasn't a chance of escaping while under heavy guard like this.

Zachariah's eyes narrowed further. "Where is Castiel?" he asked abruptly.

Balthazar whipped his head around. How could he not have noticed that Castiel wasn't here with them?

Zachariah stormed over to Uriel. "Did you search the entire compound?"

"Yes. We cleared it all."

"Then where is he?"

Uriel gave a small shrug. "I don't know. Perhaps the coward fled when we first arrived."

Balthazar internally scoffed. As if.

Zachariah's eyes hardened. "There was no time for any of them to escape." He turned sharply to Ezra. "Where was Castiel supposed to be?"

Ezra fidgeted, casting an uncertain look between Zachariah and Uriel. "I- uh- don't know. He should have been here." His throat bobbed.

Balthazar wondered if Castiel had slipped away to visit the Winchesters. If so, there was a chance he could realize something was wrong when he returned, and find Gabriel to warn him.

But neither of them would know about the sigil being erected in anticipation of the archangel's arrival.

Still, Castiel wasn't someone to be underestimated.

"After we're finished here," Uriel said, "I personally won't stop until I've hunted Castiel down."

Zachariah pivoted, cheeks puffing red. "This could have been a perfect operation!" he raged. "We were supposed to grab them all at once, no muss, no fuss. Gabriel waltzes home and zap! But no, you couldn't handle this one small detail of an angel slipping through your fingers, could you, Uriel?"

A muscle in Uriel's jaw ticked, and his eyes nearly crackled in response.

"You!" Zachariah snapped at another guard. "Go outside and stand watch. If Castiel returns first, apprehend him. If it's Gabriel, stay out of the way and let him walk into the trap."

The angel gave a clipped nod and jogged out the door.

A knot of dread started curdling in Balthazar's stomach. He wasn't sure who he hoped would get here first. All he could hope was neither Castiel or Gabriel would fall into the trap…

* * *

It took Dean and Sam over an hour to drive to Sheridan County and home in on the warehouse district where Cas was likely being held. The link Dean felt through the bond was…weird. Effortless. Like he just _knew_ where Cas was. Which hopefully meant the angel was still alive. Dean was going to bank on that, for as long as he could feel that connection.

Too bad there wasn't a way to communicate through it without someone having to be asleep, though. It'd be nice to know what they were facing when they got there. But hey, they'd had to go in blind on dangerous hunts before; the brothers knew what they were doing.

Sam finished loading a fresh magazine of angel bullets into his handgun as Dean finally drew their vehicle to a stop outside the last warehouse in the row.

He put the jeep in park and shut off the engine. "Cas is in there."

Sam flicked a quick look over the building before passing Dean a second gun, also fully loaded with angel bullets. "How do you want to do this?"

Dean pursed his mouth as he studied the area. It seemed oddly quiet, not even a guard set up outside. "Back door. Shoot first, ask questions later."

Without another word, they both exited the vehicle and started making their way around the back of the warehouse. When they came to a side door, Dean reached for the knob and gave it a tentative twist. Not locked. He turned it the rest of the way slowly, mindful of making any noise. The old thing still creaked, despite his efforts, and he winced as he paused to listen.

Nothing.

He pulled the door open wide, letting Sam duck inside first, gun raised. Dean immediately followed. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim interior, but a quick sweep didn't reveal anything other than stacked crates and idle forklifts. He exchanged a wary look with Sam. Crap, what if he was wrong? What if Cas wasn't here? Maybe he had been, and that's why Dean sensed him, but he was gone now…

Sam moved forward, intently roving his gun back and forth around the corners of containers as he pressed further into the warehouse. Any other time and Dean might have thought to look at what was being stored here, see if there was anything useful they could take back to camp. But right now he had only one thing on his mind.

The boxes only took up the back third of the warehouse, and once the Winchesters cleared them, they stepped out into an open area broken only by concrete pillars spaced evenly throughout. There was definitely no one here.

Dean gritted his teeth against a surge of frustration. Dammit, how could he have been wrong?

"Dean," Sam said in a hushed voice, and jerked his gun toward a column in the center of the warehouse.

Dean frowned as he caught sight of the barest edges of something sticking out on either side of the slab. A figure hiding there, maybe. He and Sam circled around, but then Dean's breath caught in his throat when he saw it was Cas, strung up and unconscious.

Dean stuffed his gun in his thigh holster and surged forward, hands immediately groping along the chains for a way to get the angel down.

"I got it," Sam said, able to reach higher than Dean. He managed to grab the end of the chain and unwind it from the spoke it was secured to. Cas slumped forward bonelessly, and Dean almost fell under the abrupt weight. Sam scrambled to help catch him. Together, they eased Cas down to lie on the floor.

"Oh man." Sam pulled his hand back, and Dean could see it was red.

Dean pushed two fingers underneath the collar of Cas's jacket to feel for a pulse. "You'd better not be dead," he muttered.

But there was a pulse, and Cas finally started to stir at being jostled. He let out a low moan, and then jerked, eyes snapping open.

Sam threw his hands up. "Whoa, easy! It's Sam and Dean."

Cas's eyelids fluttered rapidly at them as though not quite focusing, but after a moment he sagged. "Oh," he breathed, sounding relieved. "I thought Uriel had…come back."

"He the bastard that did this to you?" Dean asked, eyeing the slashes in Cas's jacket that went down to flesh and muscle. Cas hadn't just been 'captured'; he'd been strung up and carved into. All that was missing was a rack.

Cas nodded with a pained grunt. "I was lured here…by the traitor," he wheezed.

Sam reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his set of lock picks to start on the manacles around Cas's wrists. "Doesn't look like anyone is still here."

"They've gone after the garrison." Cas suddenly stiffened and shot a panicked look at Dean. "Did you warn Gabriel?"

Dean's mouth thinned, and he shook his head regretfully. "We lost contact in the dream before I could get his name sign."

"How long has it been?"

"A couple of hours."

Cas's eyes blew wide. "Then it may already be too late." He struggled to sit up. "I have to reach Gabriel."

Dean put a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from getting up and running out the door. "Alright, alright. We've got the stuff in the car. I'll grab it while Sam finishes with those cuffs."

Dean pushed himself to his feet and jogged back through the crates to the back door, then out to the jeep. He had to dig through the supplies in the back to reach the bowl with the ingredients for the prayer ritual, basically some herbs and incense. He grabbed those and a small piece of paper and a pen for writing the name of the intended recipient. And when this was over, Dean was gonna sit Cas down and make a phonebook for these angels.

When he got back inside, Sam had finished getting the cuffs off Cas, and was now bracing the angel where they were still sitting on the floor. Dean should have grabbed the med kit.

He set the bowl down on the floor and began to open the small plastic baggies of dried herbs to sprinkle a few into the bowl. He passed Cas the pen and paper to write Gabriel's name. Dean added the incense, and Cas hastily scribbled out an Enochian rune that looked way too complicated for Dean to memorize with one look.

Sam grabbed the lighter and lit it, then held the flame to the corner of the piece of paper. When it caught, Cas threw it into the bowl and closed his eyes.

Dean and Sam waited. Prayer didn't require a verbal supplication out loud.

After several moments, Cas finally opened his eyes, but his expression had gone slack in confusion. "I can't get through."

Dean and Sam exchanged a flummoxed look.

"What does that mean?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Cas said. "He must be…out of range."

Dean frowned. "How can angels be out of range?" Wasn't prayer supposed to reach all the way to Heaven?

Cas shook his head slowly. "I don't know. But I have to get back to the compound." He started to push himself up with a grunt, and the Winchesters scrambled to their feet to grab his arms and hold him steady.

"No offense, man, but you don't look up to taking on a chihuahua, let alone an invasion of angels."

Cas shot him a look of astounded hurt. "I can't just leave them to die."

Dean huffed. "I didn't say that. How far is the compound from here?"

Cas's brows knitted together. "Fifteen miles."

"Okay, thirteen minutes by car. Without speed limits. You can fill us in on the players on the drive."

Cas just blinked at him dumbly for a moment, then appeared to give himself a small shake. "It will be very dangerous. Uriel and Zachariah are formidable on their own, and I don't know how many soldiers will be with them."

"We packed plenty of angel bullets," Dean replied. "And there's no way in hell we're letting you take them on alone."

Sam also gave Cas a look that brooked no argument on this.

Cas's mouth pinched in either exasperation or appreciation. Maybe both. "Alright."

Dean nodded to his brother, and Sam took all of Cas's weight, slinging the angel's arm over his shoulder while Dean scooped up the prayer ritual items. Then they made their way out to the jeep.

Once on the road, Dean turned in the direction Cas indicated, and the angel gave them a quick run-down on who was a good guy and who was a bad guy. Zachariah, they'd had the displeasure of meeting, informally. Uriel sounded like someone Dean would really like to put a bullet in. And this Ezra. Cas also gave physical descriptions of the angels in his garrison, as the Winchesters hadn't actually met them all, and they didn't want to go in and shoot the wrong people.

Several minutes later, with Cas's directions, Dean parked along a curb next to a park.

"Uh, where exactly is the angel compound?" Dean asked, casting a dubious look around at the picnic tables and playground.

"The compound is in a pocket dimension," Cas explained. "The sandbox is the doorway."

Sam lifted his eyebrows. "What, seriously?"

"Yes." Cas suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and leaned back in his seat with a tight groan.

Dean frowned. "Cas?"

"I'll be fine."

Dean exchanged a worried look with Sam. Unfortunately, there wasn't exactly time to perform any decent first aid.

"Uh," Sam spoke up, "if the place is crawling with mooks, how are we supposed to get inside undetected?"

"We can't," Cas replied grimly. He pulled out his angel blade and passed it hilt first up to Dean. "I'll allow myself to be captured. Wait two minutes, and then come in after me."

Dean stiffened. "What? No. That is a bad plan."

"There's a guard in the bushes behind the swing set," Cas said.

Dean whipped his gaze that direction and narrowed his eyes. He caught a brief flash of navy blue among the greens. He twisted back to Cas. "Still a bad plan."

"But the only one we have and time is running out." He pushed his door open. "Like you said, I'm not in any shape to fight our way in there."

"We'll give you a gun," Dean countered.

"After the guard leaves his post." Cas drew his shoulders back as he met the brothers' gazes. "Thank you. And _be careful_."

Like he had any right to say that to them, Dean thought with a scowl as the stubborn-ass angel strode into the park.

Sam leaned over the backseat and grabbed a bunch of extra magazines pre-loaded with angel bullets, which he and Dean slipped into various pockets. Dean just hoped Cas knew what he was doing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part III**

Castiel staggered his way across the park toward the sandbox. Though it irked him to be walking straight into a trap like this, he knew it was the best chance for Sam and Dean to get inside. He just hoped he wasn't leading his two human friends to their deaths. The fact was Castiel didn't know if the others in the garrison were even still alive. Or Gabriel, for that matter. Ezra was supposed to help get him 'out of the way,' but what if that meant killing him?

Castiel shoved those dire thoughts down as he approached the sandbox. Time to find out.

As predicted, the guard in the bushes zapped behind him, and Castiel immediately found an angel blade to his throat. He raised his hands in surrender and let himself be manhandled forward. Only once someone stepped into the sandbox did the shimmering contours of a door begin to flicker on the air like a mirage. The angel guard grabbed the handle and pushed it open, and then shoved Castiel inside. The incompetent fool left it open, too. Castiel would have smirked if he wasn't roughly pushed forward again, jarring his injuries. He gritted his teeth.

"It's me!" the guard called out as they walked the four feet through the elongated archway and into the main war room.

Castiel felt a split second of thrilled relief to see his brothers and sisters alive, though bound and huddled in the middle of the floor. He swept his gaze around the room quickly, counting the number of Zachariah's soldiers. Zachariah was there himself, along with Uriel, whose good eye looked about to bulge out of its socket at Castiel's appearance.

"I caught him on the way in," the guard said, nudging Castiel forward.

Zachariah's face broke into a wide grin, but then his brow pinched. "Wow, talk about what the cat dragged in, literally. Did you tangle with a pack of hellhounds again?"

Castiel narrowed his eyes in confusion, then flicked a glance at Uriel. So the other angel's revenge wasn't with permission.

"I'd say Uriel and Ezra wanted to spare me the firing squad you have planned," he replied. "But I think their motives were less than pure in that regard."

Zachariah gazed at him blankly for a moment before he slowly turned a look of deadly calm on Uriel. "Is that so?" he said, punctuating each word in a low tone.

"I ran into Castiel before the scheduled attack. I didn't think it wise to risk the rebel warning the others, and so decided to keep him out of the way so everything could go according to plan," Uriel replied smoothly.

Castiel met Balthazar's and Anna's gazes as he did a quick survey for injuries. They all seemed unharmed, and rather relieved to see him, albeit worried, too. He apparently did look a mess. Plus captured, just like they were. But they didn't know help was right outside.

"So him escaping whatever confines you dredged up was according to plan?" Zachariah retorted. "And thinking I wouldn't find out? What else have you failed to take into account?"

Castiel thanked the Lord for the Winchesters' sense of impeccable—and poetic—timing; as though on cue, they burst through the front door and immediately started shooting. Two of the soldiers standing closest to the archway went down in a shattering of grace before the rest of Zachariah's thugs realized what was happening.

Castiel twisted around and slammed his palm up into the guard's nose with a crunch of cartilage. The angel reeled backward, but Castiel caught his arm and wrenched the blade from his hand, then followed up with a roundhouse kick to send him crashing to the floor.

Gunshots continued to crack like thunder. Castiel lunged to attack a soldier on the perimeter so as to stay out of the main line of fire. Eruptions of grace reflected against the walls, and Castiel prayed his garrison had the presence of mind to stay low to the floor.

He drove the pommel of his blade into the skull of another guard, and whirled to find the next one, when a sharp cry jerked his attention across the room. Zachariah had grabbed Hael and was holding her against his body like a shield, an angel blade to her neck. Castiel froze. So did the gunfire.

"Don't make me slit her throat and get blood all over everything," Zachariah seethed.

Castiel clenched his jaw, but tossed his angel blade on the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Winchesters laying down their arms as well. Castiel turned his head and tried to meet their eyes, to apologize for getting them into this. Their expressions were filled with nothing but fury, but directed at Zachariah.

The seraph waited until his few remaining soldiers moved forward to seize Castiel and the Winchesters before he flung Hael back on the ground. He then stormed over to Castiel, a vein in his forehead fit to burst. Zachariah flashed a fuming look at Sam and Dean.

"These two humans again," he said in disbelief. "What is it with you bringing them into battles, Castiel? Are they cannon fodder?"

Castiel glowered silently.

"They're Castiel's favorite pets," Ezra spoke up, rising from where he'd been hiding behind some furniture.

Castiel furled his hands into fists. He'd always known Ezra didn't share the same measure of faith and drive as most of the rest of them concerning their divine mission, but Castiel had hoped that with time, Ezra and others would come to love their earthly charges the way Castiel did.

Obviously, he'd grossly overestimated Ezra's capacity for compassion.

"He's got the whole garrison looking after a camp of humans like it's some kind of personal petting zoo," Ezra went on.

"Hey," Dean said indignantly.

Castiel shot him a quelling look. He'd rather the Winchesters not draw anyone's attention too closely.

Zachariah hummed thoughtfully. "We might have to pay a visit to this camp when we're through here."

Castiel's heart stopped. _No_.

"I knew you'd be a great big bag of dicks," Dean growled.

Zachariah sidestepped toward him, and Castiel made to intercept, but rough hands grabbed his arms and held him back.

Dean didn't even flinch as Zachariah leaned close.

"You know, I've grown bored waiting for Gabriel."

Castiel stiffened. Gabriel? Of course, Heaven would want to set a trap for the leader of the resistance. That probably explained why the other members of the garrison were still alive, for now.

Zachariah straightened and clapped his hands together. "I think I'll kill your two favorite humans right here and now." He turned a stormy gaze to Castiel. "Because that's what happens to rebels."

Castiel tried to break free again, to which Zachariah just laughed, and drew his angel blade. But before he could use it, a door in one of the back rooms banged open, and a chipper voice called out,

"Lucy, I'm home!"

* * *

Sam had been wracking his brain for a way out of this when everyone froze and turned their heads to where Gabriel had pranced in from a corridor with a cavalier grin. But Sam could see the archangel's eyes crackling with fury underneath the casual facade.

Zachariah's jaw actually dropped, and he cast an incredulous look between Gabriel and the front door. Sam noticed some harsh sigils that looked recently gouged into the frame.

"Ye-ah," Gabriel drawled. "Did you think I wouldn't have a backdoor into this place?" He turned to the puny blonde angel who'd insulted Sam and Dean. "And shoving me into a labyrinth, really? I used to be best pals with the deity who built that place."

"It was just a distraction," the dark-skinned angel with one eye growled. Sam figured that was Uriel, based on Cas's earlier description. "You are outnumbered, your base compromised. Surrender or watch your soldiers die."

Gabriel arched an unimpressed brow. "Oh really?"

Without warning, he swung his arms up and slammed his palms together. The room exploded with a burst of golden light. Sam snapped his eyes shut against the blinding glare, but didn't waste the opportunity, and drove his elbow back into the guard behind him. He then dove for the floor in the general direction of where his gun had been left.

By the time his groping fingers found it, the light had receded, and the room was in chaos. Both Dean and Cas were engaged in combat with their guards while Gabriel was pummeling the ones who'd converged on him.

An angel charged at Sam, but he raised his gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit center mass, and the angel's eyes flew wide as his grace erupted into a shattering of stardust. Sam darted toward the body and started patting down the guy's pockets. _Yes!_ He had a key.

Sam scrambled into the middle of the fray to reach the captive angels. He slid onto the floor next to Anna and quickly unlocked her handcuffs. She immediately leaped to her feet and jumped into battle.

Sam turned to the next angel and freed her, then Balthazar. He unlocked one more before passing the key to that angel to finish releasing the others while he took up his gun and turned back to the fight. Unfortunately, it was now too close quarters to risk shooting, so Sam snatched up an angel blade he saw on the floor instead.

When he whirled back around, his heart stalled as he came face to face with Uriel. The dark angel shot a hand out to lash around Sam's throat, beefy fingers squeezing and lifting him straight off the ground. Sam's feet dangled in the air, and he ended up dropping his weapon in a panic as he clawed to get the angel's arm off. Uriel's nostrils flared as he tightened his grip, but then he stopped. Uriel's eyes narrowed sharply on him. Sam choked, his vision going spotty.

Something barreled into Uriel. The hand around Sam's throat was wrenched away, and he fell in a heap on the floor, gasping and coughing for oxygen. Blinking furiously, he saw Cas and Uriel roll across the floor.

The compound was filled with screams and the star bursts of dying angels. Sam saw Zachariah make a break for the archway and escape out the front door. Uriel staggered to his feet and retreated as well. Cas scrambled after him.

Sam forced himself up. _Dammit!_ Reaching for his gun again, he hurried after his idiot friend. Sam stumbled outside, the trip through the portal door disorienting, having been in a short tunnel one second and a sandbox the next. He spotted Cas and Uriel facing off several yards away. There was no sign of Zachariah.

"You're in no shape to fight me, Castiel," Uriel sneered.

Cas lowered himself into a fighting stance. "Then what are you afraid of?"

Uriel snarled, and his grace erupted with a blazing roar and blinding flash that transformed him into a full-blown leopard the size of an elephant, bluish-white grace fizzling along the contours of its shape and spots.

Cas's own power surged up and around as his grace panther completely replaced his human form.

Sam's eyes widened. Oh, _crap_.

The two cats lunged at each other, clashing with a thunderous roar and yowl as fangs and claws tore into each other. Sam scrabbled out of the way as the two large felines rolled and grappled, locked in vicious combat.

But despite Cas's confidence, Sam knew he was severely injured already. He watched the leopard tear into the panther's flank. Iridescent blood oozed out like mist, and Cas let out a pained howl before twisting around to retaliate with his claws.

Sam threw his gun down because tiny angel bullets weren't enough against souped up angels. But something else might be.

He bolted for the jeep parked on the curb. Throwing aside most of the contents in the back, Sam finally found what he wanted laying at the bottom. He hefted the grenade launcher up and turned back to the fight.

"Cas, move!" he yelled, and took aim.

The panther rolled away without hesitation, and the leopard snapped its gaze toward Sam. He fired.

The grenade shot through the air and hit the leopard in the side, exploding on impact and sending flames coursing up over the grace aura. The cat flinched and roared at him, but it wasn't anything close to a fatal hit.

But the distraction was enough, and Cas spun back around to clamp his teeth around Uriel's neck. The leopard roared and reared back, then jerked sideways and managed to throw Cas off. But instead of following through, Uriel turned and dove into the ether.

Sam ran back across the park to where the panther's grace started to wobble and fold back in on itself. It grew brighter for an instant, and then Cas was back in his human form, swaying on his feet. Sam dropped the grenade launcher on the grass and rushed over to take his arm.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Fine," he rasped.

Sam shot him a 'bullshit' glare.

"I will be," Cas amended.

There was a small creak from the sandbox, and Sam looked up as Dean and Gabriel emerged. Both of them hurried over, Gabriel taking Cas's other arm and most of his weight.

"What did I say about no parties while I'm away?" the archangel quipped.

"Wasn't…my…idea."

"Yes, Ezra," Gabriel said darkly. "I'll deal with him."

"He's still alive?" Sam asked.

"For the moment."

"Okay, Cas is pretty banged up," Dean interjected. "That dick Uriel tortured him before all this got started."

Gabriel's eyes hardened as he cast a more scrutinizing look over Cas's torn and bloodied clothes. "I see this is gonna be a long story," he sighed. "Come on." He started to turn back to the pocket dimension door. "The place is a mess, but _mi casa es su casa_."

Sam exchanged a brief look of curiosity with Dean. This should be interesting.

* * *

Gabriel ran a glowing palm over the last of the sigils carved into the archway, finally burning it all away. He stepped back and pursed his mouth at the blackened frame. Oh well, he'd been thinking about redecorating, anyway.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the last piece—the parchment paper with the blood sigil that would have activated that trap. Gabriel crumpled it in his fist, giving an extra jolt of grace so the paper disintegrated into chaff. That would have been a nasty spell to walk into. Leave it to Zachariah to think of it.

Things could have gone very differently today if Ezra hadn't tipped his hand when leading Gabriel to that labyrinth. He should have waited for Gabriel to enter on his own, but no, he got nervous and had to give an extra push. So of course Gabriel was going to suspect something was wrong when he eventually came back to compound. Not to mention he'd spotted the human vehicle at the edge of the park, which decidedly did not belong there.

Gabriel hadn't known what to expect when he entered their home through a secret passage only he knew about, but the Winchesters' presence had been more of a surprise than Zachariah and his goons.

…Things would have gone very differently if Sam and Dean hadn't been there. For the garrison and for Castiel, whom they might have never found if it weren't for those two humans.

Gabriel turned at the sound of soft footsteps.

Hael gave him a soft smile as she approached. "I've treated Castiel's wounds. He'll be fine with some rest."

Gabriel nodded, then reached out to lightly touch her elbow. "You okay?"

She startled. "Oh, yes."

He lowered his gaze knowingly. Hael was a healer, not a fighter, and today had been just as traumatic for her.

She ducked her gaze with a slight flush of her cheeks. "I'm okay," she said, this time with more assurance.

Gabriel gave her a comforting squeeze, and she moved off to begin helping some of the others clean up the war room.

Voices echoed in the hallway, and the Winchesters emerged with Balthazar, who had been giving them a tour.

"This place is pretty awesome," Dean commented. "The, uh, skylight back there…" He gestured vaguely to what Gabriel assumed was one of the sanctuary rooms. "It was the afternoon when we came in here. Are we on the other side of the globe?"

Gabriel grinned. "You like that, huh? No, we're in a little slice removed from space and time. That window is actually located in the upper atmosphere."

Dean furrowed his brow. "We're not, though, right?"

"No."

"So it's just…hanging there?"

"It's not like there are any airplanes left to run into it," Gabriel replied.

Sam's expression, however, looked more grim than impressed. "Are you guys gonna have to abandon this place, now that Zachariah and Uriel know where it is?"

Gabriel waved a dismissive hand. "Nah. I just moved the outer door to a different location. Actually, not too far from Camp Chitaqua."

The Winchesters both raised their brows at that.

"Nice," Dean said.

Gabriel thought so, too. The humans in their charge had started off as just that, but the Winchesters had begun shifting into something different lately, something more like partners.

Shuffling issued from the other corridor as Castiel made his way over to them, with Anna lending a supportive arm. His chest was swathed in bandages and he wore a loose, unbuttoned black shirt over them.

"He refused to stay in bed," Anna said by way of greeting.

"I don't know, Cas," Dean said. "These are some nice digs. Staying in bed for a few days sounds pretty good."

Sam let out a snort. "As if you would."

Dean shot his brother a scathing look, then quirked a brow at Castiel. "Dude, do you own anything other than black?"

Castiel rolled his eyes in a long-suffering mien. "I do not understand your obsession with flannel."

"It's comfortable."

"Good for layering."

Gabriel's mouth twitched at both brothers' alternating replies. He cast a quick look around, noting that most of the garrison was in the war room cleaning up. He raised the volume of his voice a little.

"I want to thank you two, for what you did. You put your lives in danger to help us in a fight that wasn't yours."

Dean and Sam exchanged a look before the elder Winchester responded, "Of course it was our fight. We're allies, aren't we?"

Gabriel bit back a smile. "That. And friends."

And let everyone in his garrison know that. They weren't just fighting against the forces of Hell here, or the corruption of Heaven. And maybe they'd started with the idea of restoring the status quo, but the time for that was long past. It was time for angels and humans to not be distant strangers. Gabriel glanced at Castiel, the one who had opened the way to that, because he dared to love their Father's creations. And was better for it.

"What about Ezra?" Sam asked.

"Oh, don't worry about him," Gabriel replied. "I bound his grace and threw him in a labyrinth set in a pocket dimension, since he seemed so big on the place. He won't get out for a millennia on his own."

The younger Winchester gave him a dubious look, but then shook it off.

Gabriel snapped his fingers. "Oh, your vehicle was left at the park. Um, let me think who can go drive it back here…"

"I can," Castiel spoke up.

Dean snorted. "Yeah, try again in a few days."

Inias raised his hand tentatively. "Uh, I can learn how to drive a human vehicle."

"There you go," Gabriel said to the Winchesters. "Inias can go back to the camp with you, you can give him a few pointers, and he should have the vehicle back by tomorrow."

Sam and Dean exchanged an uncertain look at that, but didn't say anything.

Hester stepped forward then. "Before you go, I have something for you to take back with you."

Gabriel arched an intrigued brow as she produced a short wave radio from behind her back and handed it to Dean.

"I've rigged it so the signal will get through to here, where we have another one." Hester nodded to a table against the far wall where an identical radio sat. She suddenly looked uncomfortable. "If you need anything," she added.

"Thanks," Sam said with a smile.

Gabriel folded his arms across his chest as warm pride for his garrison blossomed inside him. The world may be growing more dark and depraved, but the lot of them here, they were getting stronger.

…

NEXT TIME

"I found one of Azazel's 'special children,'" Castiel reported. "Killed recently in what looked like a ritualistic manner."

Gabriel frowned. "Any sign of what did it?"

"No, just that it probably wasn't a beast."

He crossed his arms. "So it could have been an angel. If Heaven got wind of the demons plotting something, they might intervene."

"Then Sam Winchester is in danger from both Heaven and Hell," Castiel said.

* * *

 **A/N: Check out 29-pieces-of-me on deviantart for the pic of Uriel she did for this episode! And things are really going to heat up next time as we come to the mid-point of the major arc. ;)**


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